New court documents reveal details in the murder of the woman shot dead while celebrating her birthday with family members at a west Harris County home on Christmas Eve.
Albert Benjamin Simon, 52, the man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend Carolee Dawn Taylor, 46, was shot and killed by a Harris County Sheriff’s deputy Saturday afternoon in Hermann Park.
Court documents reveal Simon allegedly shot Taylor because he felt she betrayed him.
LINK: Suspect in Christmas Eve shooting killed in deputy-involved shooting near Hermann Park
According to the court documents, on Christmas Eve, Taylor’s uncle was hosting a Christmas party at his home in the 16500 block of Obsidian Drive when he observed a black Jeep Cherokee drive by very slowly before whipping around and stopping in front of his home. The driver stepped out of the vehicle with a firearm and began walking toward Taylor’s uncle, who recognized the driver as Albert Simon, his niece’s ex-boyfriend.
Taylor’s uncle said Simon placed the barrel of a firearm against his chest.
“I have a bone to pick,” Simon said to Taylor’s uncle, according to the documents. “Don’t smile at me, motherf*****. We are going inside.”
Moments after party goers sang Taylor “Happy Birthday,” Simon entered the home wielding two guns, located Taylor inside the home, pointed one of the handguns at her and reportedly told her “You and I are going to talk,” according to court documents.
While leading Taylor outside, Simon warned the other party goers against calling the police.
"If I see the police, I'm going to blow her ******* head off," said Simon, according to court documents.
Shortly after Simon ordered Taylor outside, Taylor’s uncle said he heard five gunshots. When he opened the front door he saw Taylor lying on the porch with multiple gunshot wounds, according to court documents.
A family member said Taylor received a text message from Simon earlier that day, according to court documents. The text was a photo of Taylor and Jesus. The text read “You ready to party with Jesus tonight?”
After the shooting, Simon texted his friend. Simon admonished his friend not to watch the news and asked if he could stop by to talk, according to court documents. Simon later showed up at his friend’s home and asked to park his car in his friend’s garage.
Later, while talking with his friend, Simon said “I killed her tonight,” and went on to describe the details of the shooting. Simon said once he forced Taylor outside, he placed the barrel of the pistol against her head and shot her. Once Taylor fell to the ground, Simon shot her four more times, according to court documents.
Simon told his friend he felt Taylor betrayed him, according to court documents.
It’s unclear what Simon did following this visit to his friend’s home.
The vehicle Simon was initially driving after the shooting on Christmas Eve was found in Dallas. Officials believe Simon switched cars in Dallas and returned to Houston in a different car.
On Saturday, some four days after the shooting, deputies tracked Simon to Hermann Park, where they found him sitting on a bench near the tea house garden, officials said.
As deputies approached him, Simon yelled, “shoot me, shoot me” while reaching for something in a bag. Then he ran from the deputies. One deputy opened fire and shot the suspect at least twice, officials said.
Simon was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Taylor’s family will hold a memorial service for her on Monday, from 5 to 6 p.m. at Cy-Fair Christian Church, located at 9730 Grant Road in Houston, TX. In lieu of flowers, the family urges attendees to honor Taylor with a charitable donation to a Facebook Fundraiser set up for her daughter’s educational needs or to the Houston Astro’s Foundation, the J.J. Watt Foundation, or any animal welfare group.